One-piece valve

ABSTRACT

A one-piece valve having a tubular body to one of which there is integrally attached a closure member which is compressed within the bore of the tubular body to seal the same when subjected to pressure forces acting on the end of the valve.

United States Patent John B. Nicholson Country Club Hills, 111. 833,399

June 16, 1969 June 22, 1971 Continental Can Company, Inc. New York, NY.

lnventor Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee ONE-PIECE VALVE 13 Claims, 7Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 141/20, 141/326, 222/494, 222/495, 222/501, 251/349 Int. Cl B651!31/00 Field olSuuch 251/342, 349, 353, 354; 222/494, 495,501; 141/3, 20,326

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 3,282,474 11/1966 German251/353 X 3,340,561 9/1967 Schwartzman 222/501 3,348,742 10/1967 Assauit251/354 3,434,695 3/1969 Green 251/349 Primary Examiner-Houston S. Bell,Jr. Attorneys-Fred P. Kostka, Joseph E. Kerwin and William A.

Dittmann ABSTRACT: A one-piece valve having a tubular body to one ofwhich there is integrally attached a closure member which is compressedwithin the bore of the tubular body to seal the same when subjected topressure forces acting on the end of the valve.

PATENTEU JUH22 1971 SHEET 1 [1F 3 INVENTOR JOHN B. NICHOLSON ATT YPATENTEU M22197} SHEET 3 BF 3 INVENTOR B. NICHOLSON J 0 BY Kl/46v ATT'Y.

ONE-PIECE VALVE The present invention relates to valves and moreparticularly to a valve adapted for use in pressurized containers foreither charging the container or dispensing the contents therefrom.

It is a principle object of the present invention to provide a fluidpressure responsive valve made as a single unitary piece and havingfluid passage means formed therein and an integral plug which iscompressible within the fluid pressure means to seal the passages whenfluid pressure forces are imposed on the valve and to be released fromcompression to open the passages when a force opposing the fluidpressure forces is applied on the plug.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a simple onepiece valve which is made from a resilient compressible material andhaving fluid passage means and an integral closure which is operative toclose the passage when the valve is compressed It is still anotherobject taken in conjunction with the immediately foregoing object inwhich the valve is constructed and arranged so that the integral closureeffectively seals the fluid passage means upon application of afluidized pressure force on said valve.

It is another object to provide a one-piece valve capable of beingapplied to a pressurized container to serve as either a charging valveto charge the container with a pressurized fluid or as a dispensingvalve for dispensing the contents from the container.

It is still a further object of the invention to provide a pressurizedcontainer having an opening in which there is inserted a one-piece valvemade from a flexible and compressible material and having a fluidpassage means and an integral closure member which is compressed withinthe fluid passage to seal the latter when the container is charged witha fluid under pressure.

The foregoing objects are generally accomplished by a onepiece valvemade from a flexible and compressible material and includes asubstantially tubular body having a closure member flexibly attachedadjacent one end thereof extending into the bore of the tubular bodyandcompressed therein to seal the bore when the end is subjected topressures greater than atmospheric within the container.

More particularly, the one-piece valve is insertable into an opening ofa container so as to compress the tubular body intermediate the endsthereof and into engagement with the closure member in the fluid passagemeans. The valve is inserted into the container so that the fluid underpressure within the container acts on the flexibly connected end of theclosure member to compress the plug into the bore and thereby seal thefluid within the container. The valve is opened by a force applied onthe end of the closure member opposite to that on which the fluidpressure forces are applied thereby to release the closure member fromcompression within the bore and provide a passage through the tubularbody.

Further objects and features will hereinafler appear.

In The Drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pressurized container having adispensing valve and a charging valve embodying the structure of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the bottomof the container and illustrating the valve of the present inventionprior to being inserted into a charging opening;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of the valve inserted in the chargingopening;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of the valve during the charging operation forcharging fluid under pressure into the container;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIGS. 2 to 4 inclusive butshowing the sealed position of the valve after the charging operation iscompleted;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the lines 6-6 ofFIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the lines 7-7 ofFIG. 1 and in particular showing the valve of the present inventionapplied as a dispensing valve.

Referring now to the drawing, there is shown a container or can 10 ofthe type generally used for dispensing aerosol products. The aerosolcontainer 10 embodies generally a charging valve 11 and a dispensingvalve 11a both incorporating the structure of the present invention. Theaerosol container 10 includes a generally cylindrical metal body 12enclosed at the upper end by an upper domed shaped closure 13. Theclosure 13 is secured to the body 12 by means of a conventional doubleseam. Attached to the dome closure 13 as by clinching in the standardmanner is a closure disc 14 on which the dispensing valve 11a ismounted.

Attached to the bottom or under side of the container body 12 is an endclosure plate 17 also secured to the body by means of a double seam 18.The end closure plate 17 includes an axial recess 19 in which there isformed an opening 21 bounded by an upwardly projecting flange 22.Seatable within the opening 21 is the charging valve 11 of the presentinvention as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6. The charging valve 11 servesto charge the container with a fluid under pressure to provide thepropellant force for dispensing the product from the aerosol container10. In this connection, it should be mentioned that the propellant fluidmay be incorporated into the product to be dispensed therewith as iscommon practice in aerosol containers, or the propellant may bemaintained separate from the product to be dispensed as in a containerhaving a product bag or the like on which the propellant acts. Thelatter type containers are generally known as dual compartment aerosolcontainers.

The charging valve 11 comprises a tubular body 23 of generallycylindrical cross section. The valve 11 is made from a flexible andresilient material such as natural or synthetic rubber or plastic suchas polyurethane and the like and is inserted into the charging openingor orifice 21 on the underside of the container 10.

As shown, the tubular body 23 is formed at one end with an uppertruncated dome section 24 for facilitating the insertion of the valveinto the opening 21. Contiguous with the truncated dome section 24 is acylindrical section 26 which is of larger diameter than the orifice 21.An annular groove 27 is formed at the lower end of the cylindricalsection 26 and accommodates the upstanding flange 22 bounding theopening 21 therein. Extending from the lower end of the annular groove27 is an enlarged horizontal flange 30, which is accommodated within theaxial recess 19 in the end closure 17 to prevent lateral movement of thevalve 11 when inserted within the opening 21.

The bore 28 of the tubular body is formed with a large bore section 29,an intermediate bore section 31 and a small bore section 32. The largebore section 29 and intermediate bore section 31 define a shoulder 33 atthe juncture thereof. Integral with the shoulder 33 and extending intothe large bore section 29 is an annular flexible web 34. Formed in theweb 34 is a plurality of ports or openings 36 which providecommunication between the upper bore section 29 and the intermediatebore section 31.

Extending from an integral with the web 34 is a downwardly projectingclosure member or plug 37 which is of lesser diameter than theintermediate bore section 31 and small bore section 32 as shown inFIG. 1. However, upon insertion of the valve 11 into the orifice 21 theresilient tubular 16 is compressed thereby to constrict the intermediatebore section 31 as shown in FIG. 3. In this position, the lower end ofthe plug 37 remains spaced above a shoulder 37 formed at the juncture ofthe intermediate bore section 31 and small bore section 32 which is alsoconstricted. Thus the plug 37 closes the valve 11 so that fluid isunable to pass between the bore sections 31 and 32 and the large boresection 29 via the ports 36 in the web 34.

To open the valve 11 to charge fluid into the container body 11, acharging head assembly 38 is placed into engagement with the outersurface of the end closure 17 of the container as shown in HO. 4. Thecharging head assembly 38 may include a reciprocal spindle 39 which uponelevation is operative to engage and force the plug 37 upwardly out ofthe constricted portion of the intermediate bore section 311 so that thesidewall of the plug 37 is spaced from the wall of the intermediate boresection 3i to provide an annular passage 40. In this position of theplug 37, fluid is free to flow through the annular passage M and via theweb ports 36 into the container body ll ll.

The propellant or pressurized fluid is charged into the container bodyllll from a suitable source of fluid (not shown) via spindle bore 411.As shown in MG. 4, the charged fluid flows in the direction of thearrows through the bore ill and outwardly through inclined passages Mainto the intermediate bore section 311 and through the annular passage dinto the container body it via the ports 3%.

When the container body it is fully charged, the spindle 33 is retractedand the container end 17 is displaced out of engagement with thecharging head assembly 33. At the same time, the pressure forces of thepressurized fluid within the container body llll act on the upper end orface d2 of the plug 37 force the latter downwardly into the constrictedportion of the intermediate bore section 311. in this connection, it isto be noted that the plug 37 is compressed within the intermediate andsmall bore section 311 and 32 and the lower end or face 44 of the plug341 is tightly seated against a shoulder 43 defined at the juncture ofthe intermediate and small bore sections 3ll and 32. in this manner, theplug 37 is snuggly seated along the horizontal shoulder did and alsoalong the constricted vertical wall of the intermediate bore sections 3iand 32 so that an effective seal is thereby formed at the opening 211.

Referring now to H6. 6, the valve lllla is shown applied to the upperclosure disc for use as a dispensing valve. The valve llla may besimilar in all respects to the valve ill with the exception that atubular extension 3th: depends upwardly from the flange 30. The tubularextension 30a is formed with a bore having a serrated wall 3tllb.

The valve lllla is mounted in an end closure opening Sll so that theflange 343 is received within an axial recess 52. The opening 311 is ofsmaller diameter than the cylindrical section 26 of the tubular valvebody 23 so that the intermediate bore section 311 is constricted.Normally, the valve lie is in the closed and sealed position shown inMG. 7 in full lines and held therein by means of the pressure forcesexerted by the pressurized fluid or propellant within the container bodyit acting on the face 413.

For opening the valve lllla and thereby to dispense the contents fromthe container, there is provided an actuating assembly 53. The actuatingassembly 53 includes a tubular sleeve dd having an outer serrated wallwhich coacts with the serrated bore wall 3b to fasten the sleevetherein. The tubular sleeve 54% includes a bore 36 having a shoulder 57.Vertically slidable within the bore 56 is an actuating stem 5% having ashoulder 59 which abuts the bore shoulder 57 in the closed position ofthe valve ll lia.

A longitudinal fluid passage on having inclined intake passages tilllaat the lower end extends through the stem 58. An actuating button 61having a product discharge orifice 62 and an axial passage 63communicating with the fluid passage so is attached to the projectingend of the stem 58 as by means of a force fit. Normally, the actuatingstem 58 assumes the position shown in full lines in FIG. 7. However,upon the application of a downwardly force as by fingers of the user onthe button M, the shaft 5% displaces the plug 37 downwardly to thephantom line position. in this position, the walls of the plug 37 areout of engagement with the walls of the small and intermediate boresections 311 and 32 so that the contents of the container are free toflow through the annular space 441) and the web ports 36 and therebyinto the passage so via the inclined passages 60a. The contents are thendischarged from the actuating button in through the axial passage 63 andorifice 62.

Upon release of the button, the pressure forces in the container actingon the plug face 43 are operative to reseat the latter in the boresection 3ll and return the actuating assembly components to the fullline position.

Under some circumstances, a dip tube may be required to efficientlydispense the products from the container. As shown in H6. 7, the largebore section 29 provides a convenient location for attaching a dip tube65. The dip tube 65 may be secured within the large bore section 29 witha force fit. The presence of the dip tube 65 does not alter the functionof the valve as described heretofore because the fluid pressure forcesact on the plug face 433 in the same manner to retain the valve closeduntil an opposing force is applied on the opposing face 32.

What I claim is:

l. A valve comprising a one-piece body made from a flexible andcompressible material, fluid passage means extending through said bodyand including an axial bore extending upwardly into said body from oneend thereof, a closure member integrally connected adjacent to the otherend of said body and extending into said bore for substantially axialmovement between a position permitting fluid flow through said bore anda position for sealing said bore upon compression of said closure membertherein.

2. A valve comprising a one-piece body made from a flexible andcompressible material, an axial bore extending upwardly into said bodyfrom one end thereof, an annular flexible web adjacent to the other endof said bore and having a plug depending therefrom, port means in saidannular web communicating with said bore, said plug extending into saidbore substantially axial for movement between a position seatable withinsaid bore upon compression of said plug therein to seal said bore fromsaid ports and to a position permitting fluid passage through said valvebody through said bore and said ports when said plug is released fromcompression within said bore.

3, A valve for a container charged with a fluid under pressure greaterthan atmosphere and having an opening into which said valve isinsertable, said valve comprising a onepiece body made from a flexibleand compressible material, fluid passage means extending through saidbody including an axial bore extending upwardly into said body from oneend thereof, a closure member integrally connected adjacent to the otherend of said body and substantially axially extending into said bore andbeing movable to seal said valve under the internal pressure forces insaid container acting on one end of said closure member and beinglongitudinally displaceable relative to said bore to permit flow throughsaid fluid passage means when an external force greater than saidinternal pressure force is applied to the other end of said closuremember.

43. A valve for a container charged with a fluid under pressure greaterthan atmosphere and having an opening into which said valve isinsertable, said valve comprising a onepiece body made from a flexibleand compressible material, said body having a cross-sectional areagrater than said container opening so as to be compressed therein, fluidpassage means extending through said body including an axial boreextending into said body from one end thereof, a closure memberintegrally connected adjacent to the other end of said body andsubstantially axially extending into said bore and being movable to sealsaid bore when compressed therein and to permit fluid flow through saidfluid passages when released from compression.

5. A charging valve for charging and sealing a pressurized containerhaving an opening into which said valve is insertable, said chargingvalve comprising a one-piece body made from a flexible and compressiblematerial, fluid passage means extending through said body including anaxial bore extending through said body, a plug integrally connectedadjacent to one end of said body and substantially axially extendinginto one end of said bore to permit charging of pressurized fluid intosaid container through the other end of said bore and said fluid passagemeans and being compressible within said bore to seal the pressurizedfluid within the container by the pressure forces exerted therein bysaid pressurized fluid charged into said container.

6. The charging valve as defined in claim 5 wherein an annular webconnects said plug adjacent to said upper end of said body.

7. The charging valve as defined in claim 6 wherein a circular recess isformed in the upper end of said body and said web is foldably disposedin said recess.

8. A valve and a container charged with a fluid under pressure greaterthan atmosphere and having an opening into which said valve isinsertable, said valve comprising a onepiece tubular body made from aflexible and compressible material, fluid passage means extendingthrough said body including an axial bore of said tubular body, aclosure member integrally connected adjacent to one end of said body forsubstantially axial movement so as to be compressible into said bore toseal said valve under the internal pressure forces in said containeracting on one end of said closure member and being longitudinallydisplaceable relative to said bore out of compression engagementtherewith to permit fluid flow through said fluid passage means when anexternal force greater than said internal pressure force is applied tothe other end of said closure member.

9. The invention as defined in claim 8 wherein an opening is formed inthe upper end of a container and said valve is inserted in said opening,for use as a dispensing valve and wherein a dip tube is connected tosaid valve body at said other end of said body.

10. The invention as defined in claim 9 wherein said clip tube is seatedin said bore at the other end of said bore.

11. The invention as defined in claim 8 wherein an annular flangedefining a bore extension extends from said other end of said valvebody, and a dispensing valve actuating assembly is seated in said boreextension.

12. The invention as defined in claim 11 wherein said actuating assemblyincludes a tubular sleeve seated in said bore extension, and wherein astem is slidably mounted in said sleeve and engages said closure memberfor exerting a force opposing said pressurized fluid force in saidcontainer and acting on said closure member.

13. A valve comprising a one-piece tubular body made from a flexible andcompressible material, fluid passage means extending through said bodyand including an axial bore constrictable along the length thereof, anda closure member integrally connected adjacent to one end of said bodyextending substantially axially into said bore and being compressibletherein for sealing said bore.

1. A valve comprising a one-piece body made from a flexible andcompressible material, fluid passage means extending through said bodyand including an axial bore extending upwardly into said body from oneend thereof, a closure member integrally connected adjacent to the otherend of said body and extending into said bore for substantially axialmovement between a position permitting fluid flow through said bore anda position for sealing said bore upon compression of said closure membertherein.
 2. A valve comprising a one-piece body made from a flexible andcompressible material, an axial bore extending upwardly into said bodyfrom one end thereof, an annular flexible web adjacent to the other endof said bore and having a plug depending therefrom, port means in saidannular web communicating with said bore, said plug extending into saidbore substantially axial for movement between a position seatable withinsaid bore upon compression of said plug therein to seal said bore fromsaid ports and to a position permitting fluid passage through said valvebody through said bore and said ports when said plug is released fromcompression within said bore. 3, A valve for a container charged with afluid under pressure greater than atmosphere and having an opening intowhich said valve is insertable, said valve comprising a one-piece bodymade from a flexible and compressible material, fluid passage meansextending through said body including an axial bore extending upwardlyinto said body from one end thereof, a closure member integrallyconnected adjacent to the other end of said body and substantiallyaxially extending into said bore and being movable to seal said valveunder the internal pressure forces in said container acting on one endof said closure member and being longitudinally displaceable relative tosaid bore to permit flow through said fluid passage means when anexternal force greater than said internal pressure force is applied tothe other end of said clOsure member.
 4. A valve for a container chargedwith a fluid under pressure greater than atmosphere and having anopening into which said valve is insertable, said valve comprising aone-piece body made from a flexible and compressible material, said bodyhaving a cross-sectional area grater than said container opening so asto be compressed therein, fluid passage means extending through saidbody including an axial bore extending into said body from one endthereof, a closure member integrally connected adjacent to the other endof said body and substantially axially extending into said bore andbeing movable to seal said bore when compressed therein and to permitfluid flow through said fluid passages when released from compression.5. A charging valve for charging and sealing a pressurized containerhaving an opening into which said valve is insertable, said chargingvalve comprising a one-piece body made from a flexible and compressiblematerial, fluid passage means extending through said body including anaxial bore extending through said body, a plug integrally connectedadjacent to one end of said body and substantially axially extendinginto one end of said bore to permit charging of pressurized fluid intosaid container through the other end of said bore and said fluid passagemeans and being compressible within said bore to seal the pressurizedfluid within the container by the pressure forces exerted therein bysaid pressurized fluid charged into said container.
 6. The chargingvalve as defined in claim 5 wherein an annular web connects said plugadjacent to said upper end of said body.
 7. The charging valve asdefined in claim 6 wherein a circular recess is formed in the upper endof said body and said web is foldably disposed in said recess.
 8. Avalve and a container charged with a fluid under pressure greater thanatmosphere and having an opening into which said valve is insertable,said valve comprising a one-piece tubular body made from a flexible andcompressible material, fluid passage means extending through said bodyincluding an axial bore of said tubular body, a closure memberintegrally connected adjacent to one end of said body for substantiallyaxial movement so as to be compressible into said bore to seal saidvalve under the internal pressure forces in said container acting on oneend of said closure member and being longitudinally displaceablerelative to said bore out of compression engagement therewith to permitfluid flow through said fluid passage means when an external forcegreater than said internal pressure force is applied to the other end ofsaid closure member.
 9. The invention as defined in claim 8 wherein anopening is formed in the upper end of a container and said valve isinserted in said opening, for use as a dispensing valve and wherein adip tube is connected to said valve body at said other end of said body.10. The invention as defined in claim 9 wherein said dip tube is seatedin said bore at the other end of said bore.
 11. The invention as definedin claim 8 wherein an annular flange defining a bore extension extendsfrom said other end of said valve body, and a dispensing valve actuatingassembly is seated in said bore extension.
 12. The invention as definedin claim 11 wherein said actuating assembly includes a tubular sleeveseated in said bore extension, and wherein a stem is slidably mounted insaid sleeve and engages said closure member for exerting a forceopposing said pressurized fluid force in said container and acting onsaid closure member.
 13. A valve comprising a one-piece tubular bodymade from a flexible and compressible material, fluid passage meansextending through said body and including an axial bore constrictablealong the length thereof, and a closure member integrally connectedadjacent to one end of said body extending substantially axially intosaid bore and being compressible therein for sealing said bore.